LeaderTalk

How are you keeping your teachers excited about teaching and learning?

Like all of you, North Carolinians are faced with significant budget shortfalls.  Our state and local leaders are doing their absolute best to balance the budget while not significantly impacting the classroom. Part of the budget cuts being discussed across the state focuses upon eliminating costs that do not directly impact the classroom. Professional  development is one of those that is a fairly common cut.  Professional development is used in many ways; among them including to sharpen and upgrade skills, provide crucial training for new initiatives,  develop and deepen the talent, renew licensure/credentialing, and to revitalize and renew the passion of teachers and school leaders. Yet, if the stark choice is eliminating professional development for a year to save teaching positions, it is an easy call.  Save the teaching position.

I don't think there is any way around it-we have to find ways other than simply conferences and face to face workshops and seminars to keep teachers excited about the  teaching and learning process in these chaotic times.  It is also critical that we find ways for school executives and leaders to renew themselves as well.  This is even more crucial now.  A colleague, Ben Rosen, was quoted in the local paper that an important tool is to find more ways to tell workers about changes inside and outside the organization.  As Ben notes, "Insecurity is such a killer of morale.  It's important ...to give employees timely and complete information.  The more uncertain times are, the more rumors pop up." 

I'm posing my question for this post as a way for us collectively to find ways to keep teachers (and school leaders) excited about what we do and how we help make a difference to the young people to whom parents have entrusted their children.  How are you keeping your teachers and yourselves excited and focused upon teaching and learning OR supporting those whose focus is teaching, learning, and student success?

Best regards,
Chris

What are your leading indicators?

I was having a discussion with a principal who was talking about the classroom walkthroughs that her district leadership was emphasizing.  She asked my help with a concept and I in turn am asking Leadertalk bloggers and readers.  Here's the question (I'll outline the context below the question)

What do you look for when you are making your classroom walkthroughs?

Here's the context.  Her district has a prescribed methodology for conducting walkthroughs.  I know there are multiple different rubrics and methodologies for conducting walkthroughs.  I am certain that there are disciples and evangelists for each and I am not asking the question to start a debate on the advantages and disadvantages of each model.  I am curious about what you look for in a classroom?  What do you see that you believe has the greatest impact on student learning for all students that you can observe, see, and measure? 

By the same token, what are some indicators that you pay attention to inside your school that give you a sense of what is happening in your school?  These indicators give you a sense of what is working and not working (kind of like the old story of the canary in the coal mine...)

So I'm curious as to what you consider your leading indicators for your school? What are those data that you pay attention to to see if your school is on track or needs a swift and gentle course correction?

Grind without Gain

There are VERY few school executives who are not driven to succeed.  We serve as teachers or guidance counselors, or other roles within the schools before we become school executives.  We are proactive, we learn to anticipate problems and solve them and in some cases, look at these problems as challenges to be overcome.  So we take action and list out what needs to be done by when and by whom.  Most of time this serves us well.  Yet, I'm learning that there are times where I simply have my head in the weeds so deep that I don't stop to step back and see what I am trying to accomplish with all of this action-I recently heard the phrase, "grind without gain" and it seems to fit when I get in this mode.  it is like I am simply checking off to do items with little knowledge of how they fit into the larger scheme of what I want to accomplish in terms of larger organizational goals.

I'm learning I need to step back periodically and look at what I want to accomplish, then use the resources I have to achieve what I want to accomplish.  I heard a pretty good and elegant way of phrasing it that seems to help me-the trick will be consistently executing on what I've learned. 

Here's the idea-you determine what you want to accomplish-no more than 3-5 big priorities, then recognize that you have four essential resources to accomplish your 3-5 goals-time, people, stuff, and dollars.  Use those resources to drive your action lists.  No big deal, so far.  Here's the big deal-weekly, biweekly, or monthly, sit down and review for yourself (or with your leadership team) to review what you wanted to accomplish, where you are with the big 3-5 goals, and use your time resource to help reinforce with others what you want to accomplish and to push your agenda. The key, I am finding, is to loop back in a disciplined way to ensure that your big goals don't get pushed aside from the day to day activities that can easily consume all of us. (Thanks Harry and Mark for your wisdom on this).

I'm curious as to what are some ways that you are able to keep your agenda and priorities front and center?   Look forward to hearing from you.

Chris

How Do You Share About Classroom Observations?

I had a colleague who was transferred to a new school.  He comes into a school where the previous principal was effective, yet did not spend much time with informal classroom observations.  This colleague asked me about how to communicate his desire and expectation that he would be more frequently in the classrooms without panicking the teachers.  I shared my thoughts with him, which you'll see below.  What would you say differently, amplify, or change?

I'd start by outlining some of my core beliefs, two of which are that the classroom interaction between the teacher and the student is a vital aspect of schooling and that the achievement and growth of each student is important.   I'd also spend a short bit of time about how teachers work fairly isolated from their peers and that part of my role as a principal is to see the good "things" that are going on in classrooms and to act in part as a "maitre' d" to share what I am seeing among teachers and to bring those together-part of that may be with professional learning communities, part of that may be to share the good news between what I see in different classrooms with how very effective teachers can reach challenging students or a particularly effective strategy for teaching a difficult concept.

Finally, I'd share how being in the classroom allows me to better support teachers when upset parents called and I'd be able to respond that that is not what I was seeing when I was in the classroom.

I'd follow up (and this to me is important) with short notes to each teacher (it doesn't have to be more than a couple of sentences) immediately after each classroom visit to thank them for what they do and what I saw that I thought was going well.   

I'm sure many of you would find better ways to communicate this and I 'm interested in hearing what you would say. My key points are to: reassure that I'm not on a witch hunt, I am interested in what goes on in the classroom, and I want to support teachers in many different ways.  I've done variations on this in three different schools (two of which were turnaround situations), and at the district level.  I HAVE learned that resistance is high in the beginning and that I was never able to get 100% of the teachers to get more comfortable with another adult in the classroom.

Your thoughts?

Chris

Handling Prima Dons (and Donnas)

I had a colleague in a school ask me about how to handle a prima don on his staff.  He feels he is being held hostage by this individual. The individual is loved by parents, does great things with his students, is  creative in the classroom, and get his students (all of their students) to perform at their best.  He's also  also cranky, arrogant, and think the rules apply to everybody else but him.  This summer, the prima don may implicitly (or explicitly) say that if things don’t go his way, he will leave the school.

I suggested two filters to use at the outset-I had my suggestions, which you'll see below but I am quite curious about what readers of this blog suggest instead of or in addition to what I've suggested.

1.  Ethics and Policy:   If the person is violating any ethical canons or school board policy, you  have no choice but to confront and quickly use whatever disciplinary measures you have to in accordance with your local and state policies and procedures.  It’s one thing for a teacher to care about the children under her supervision or for a technology teacher to show how streaming video websites work, it is an entirely different matter for her to dispense pain medications or temporarily disable your system’s website filtering system  without following your district policies.  Whether the person is teacher of the year or a family member of the school board chair, you have to handle this person in the exact same manner as any other employee.

2. Consistent High Performance:  All three of these words matter.  If the person is not giving you consistent high performance, then you have a much easier decision-cut them no slack and look for removal, dismissal or nonrenewal.  If you have a person who is rude to everybody and doesn’t do a good job, you are under no obligation to keep them around.   We’d suggest that each time you work with a prima donna, you think through whether the person is still exhibiting consistent high performance.

A.    Find the combination: While many prima donnas exhibit the same annoying and destructive behavior, they generally have different sets of needs. Some may need additional “air time” to demonstrate their superior knowledge and intellect.  Others may want public recognition for the work they have done. Still others may want to be perceived as a “power player” by being asked to serve on a district level committee.  By looking for what you see that they want, you have a tool that you can use to help leverage better behavior from them.

B    Build a wall:  Prima donnas  know they are good and some may simply want to be left alone.  If your prima donna simply wants to be left alone, put their expertise to use on a lone ranger project that aligns with your strategic goals and they don’t have to spend time in what they consider wasted time in endless meetings. 

OR

  Build a fence: If your prima donna loves the limelight, and wants to be perceived as a leader, have them lead a committee, but with conditions.  Your conversation may go like this.  “I’m glad you’ve agreed to lead this committee.  Remember that one of the key aspects of this committee is to get a set of recommendations that that everybody will buy in to.  You’ve got a lot of skill and talent and your perspective is valuable.  One of the areas that will be important for you to focus upon is building upon the ideas of everybody in the group.  What ideas do you have to make sure that everybody is listened to and heard?” When the prima donna pushes back, you have an opening to discuss how their skills in this committee can help increase their credibility with the others on the team not only for her specific skills but also being perceived as someone who listens to others.

3.    Ensure accountability:   You can certainly include high performance in the interpersonal realm as well.  If one of your key values is client service and you have individuals who are rude and inconsiderate to others (internally and externally), you have to have this conversation with the prima donna.  Point out that he runs the risk of alienating and distancing himself from others with his actions.  Serving as a mirror to his behaviors serves as a start to demonstrate the linkage between his behavior and the actions and behaviors you want from him.

4.    Check the “will”:  You have to make the determination whether the prima donna is acting the way he is because of his interest in improving your school or if he is simply castigating you because he doesn’t like anybody telling him what to do or actively undercutting what you are trying to achieve.  If, in your conversations, you find out that the individual thinks there is a better way to do this, you should certainly listen.  On the other hand, if he is doing end runs, generating rumors, and generally trying to undermine you and what you are doing, you have an entirely different (and we hope, quick) resolution to the issue.

What other suggestions do you have in place of or in addition to what I have noted?
Chris

Your First 90 Days in Your New Role

An open letter to all who are moving into new positions...

Congratulations!  I'm really proud and impressed with you and your new school.  I'm sure you will do well.  As you know though, any new school assignment comes with some challenges-some are more explicit than others.  If your role is to improve the school, remember that you have to get this done through the willing participation of other people. Regardless of whether you are an insider or an outsider, you face the challenge of getting the people in your new organization to embrace you and buy into the vision that you have for it. These lessons are not a guarantee of future success, but they will substantially improve your chances for success in your new role.  These questions (to be asked of your staff, your boss, external stakeholders, and possibly the person you are replacing) may help you hit the ground...listening.

During these interviews, which should last about 20 minutes, giving you 10 minutes to catch your breath and  summarize any notes.  You should block out about an hour for your direct reports-you want to get a good sense from them and their priorities during your time together.  I’ve listed below some sample questions that you can use as a springboard for your discussions.  These questions were adapted from my friend and colleague in executive development, Jim Shanley-I’ve framed these questions as though for a principal for a new school-you can adapt these when you move to another role.

• What are our school’s top 3-5 priorities?
• How do we plan to meet and achieve those priorities?
• What are your top 3 priorities (you want to see how they match up with the school’s priorities)
• What are the 3-5 most important things we should preserve and keep doing here? Why?
• What are the top three things we need to change? Why?
• What do you most hope that I do?
• What are you most concerned that I might do?
• If you were in my shoes, what would you do first?

You will want to take careful notes-think like a researcher-and synthesize what you have learned. Be sure to share what you have learned back to your various direct reports and stakeholders.

Best of luck to you and let me know if I can help you in any way,

Chris

Incoming Phone Calls-Do you send to voicemail or to a live person?

Here's a question for you-do you have your school secretary screen your incoming calls and put them on a phone log or do you simply have them patched through to your voice mail?  I have a bias, but I am curious about how others do this.  My bias is to have all phone calls routed to a live person, rather than to my voice mail.  I've gone to a column type word processing document that has columns for completed, date, phone number, person and notes. We print out a new sheet each day for the calls. The secretary keeps the sheet by her desk (we've color coded it in "cosmic orange" to make it stand out from all of the other pieces of paper on the desk).  I've listed my biases below-I'm curious as to your perspective-feel free to disagree.

• The secretary can screen, prioritize the call, and calm the waters with an angry caller.  We’ve all been switched to voice mail when we wanted to talk to a live human voice.  When we get voice mail, it makes us even angrier.  The same is true with your callers.  An effective secretary can tell the caller where you are (“She’s out in the building visiting classrooms-she should be back in about an hour. May I take a message?”), gauge the intensity of the call and give you a heads up when you return (“Call Mrs. Smith immediately-she is very upset about the new bus routes.”). 
• A second advantage is that your call log gives you additional time to make the callbacks in the order and priority that you decide.  If you go back to your office, and listen to your voice mail messages, it may take you up to five times as long to listen to the messages as it would if you simply read the notes section for each call.  You then take the phone log, make the return calls, and log when you completed the call (for a shorthand tool to note when there has been a call back or you are waiting on someone, check the section on dots, circles, and dashes below).  The time you save by simply having your secretary answer your calls can also reinforce your focus on classroom learning (“She’s observing teachers this morning. May I tell her you called?”).

Remember Our Fallen Heroes

Most of us mark Memorial day as the start of summer, firing up the BBQ grill, and going to various recreational activities.  For others, it's another three day weekend. For students in traditional schools, it marks the immediate conclusion of another year of school.

Yet, I ask us to pause this day to remember the hundreds of thousands of fallen heroes who have died in defense of our country and the country's national interests.

I read an article in today's paper about a badly burned young United States Marine, Merlin German, who died in April after being horrendously burned from a bomb along a dusty road in Iraq in 2005. Marine Sgt. Merlin German was burned over 97% of his body and endured over 100 surgeries and surgical procedures. His story brought tears to my eyes and reminded me of a quote by President Reagan over 20 years ago, "...Most of those who died in defense of our country...were boys when they died, and they gave up two lives, the one they were living and the one they would have lived. They gave up their chance to be husbands and fathers and grandfathers.  They gave up everything for their country, for us. All we can do is remember."

Whether you are Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, or Independent; whether you are in favor of the current war in Iraq or bitterly against it; whether you identify more with the pacifists or hawks, take a moment this weekend to pause to remember, give thanks, and lift up your thoughts and prayers to the men and women throughout our nation's history who have died to allow us to speak our view strongly, without fear of retribution or death, to spend time with our families, to enjoy the onset of summer, and to have the freedom to engage in recreation and family fun.

And while you are at it, take the time to thank a veteran or currently serving military professional.  They deserve our thanks and gratitude.

Chris

The Best Advice I Received

During the past two weeks, I've been thinking, about this question, "What was the best advice I have received?:    I'll list three pieces of advice that I have found to be quite valuable and influencial to me in the post below.  However, believing in the power of the experience of others, I invite and ask you to submit a piece of advice that you found most valuable to you.  If you can, share what the advice was and why it was so powerful for you.

Here are my three

1-From Gene Chasin, a former manager and mentor to me (he was Asst Supt for Elementary Programs) who told me that it is important to work hard but that if you continually work 70-90 hours a week, you will burn yourself out.  He taught me the difference between working high value hours vs simply being at the office or working just to slog through some stuff.  I was working VERY hard to improve a historically struggling school and was putting in numerous long hours, some of which were important and high value, but more were simply hours and I was failing at balancing work with family.

2-From Rick Adamson, another former manager who remains a terrific friend-he coined "Rick's Rule of Three" which noted that if you receive an email to another person, you send response, and the person responds with another email (the third time), you should immediately stop, and either get on the phone or walk over to that person to resolve the question/issue.  Our work group had a bad habit of emailing and creating LONG threads which bogged all of us down.

3-From Daryl Powell and Jack McCall, former colleagues and mentors at the North Carolina Principal Executive Program who taught me the value of being a continual learner. Jack is now in his upper 80's but his wit and wisdom can be found at this link.  I've been able to learn from both of them to look at areas outside of what is traditionally education administration and see what parallels and ideas can be cross pollinated-I'm now doing the same in my current role where I am applying areas that school executives excel (motivating people when there is little or no monetary incentive) to my work in Executive Development.

Now it's your turn-what 's the best advice YOU have received?  I look forward to hearing from you.

Chris

Measurement Matters

I've just finished reading another book by Pat Lencioni. I'm always curious about what his next book will focus upon-this time it has a somewhat misleading title of The Three Signs of a Miserable Job.  In it, Pat crafts a fable to tell a story about how the most effective managers...strike that...leaders ensure that results get done. Interesting to me is how he talks about measures that matter-he calls it "immeasurement".  Immeasurement is where LOTS of items get measured, but they are not the right ones.  Effective measures, from Lencioni's view, must be meaningful and within the control of the person-he discounts the longer term measures of success (his is a business book so profits are a key measure, but it happens LONG after the measures that effective leaders measure). 

In the fable, he talks about teachers who measure the percentage of students that master a quiz-this was interesting to me, because this is what I have been hearing for a while (going ALL the way back to Madeline Hunter and mastery learning) but it seems to be inconsistently applied. 

Good book by Pat-check out his other two keys of a miserable job-being anonymous and not knowing how you connect to the success of other people.

Question for the group-what measures do you have for teachers and, more importantly, what measures do you have for yourself as school executives?

Chris